Dr. Walker graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc (Hons) in Medical Microbiology in 1996 before completing a Ph.D. at Imperial College London focussed on the co-evolution of antigen processing genes with MHC molecules.  He was a Staff Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research in London where his work has focussed on the genetics of multiple myeloma.  He is currently at Indiana University where he holds the Chair for the Daniel and Lori Efroymson Professor of Oncology and is the SWOG Myeloma Committee Chair of Translational Medicine. Most of this work has revolved around utilizing primary patient material with a range of techniques including gene expression and mapping arrays to next-generation sequencing technologies to identify the genetic determinants that can be used to sub-classify myeloma.  These determinants include common copy number abnormalities, somatic mutations, and gene expression profiles which can be used to risk-stratify patients according to biological criteria, which in turn can determine the prognosis of the patient.